Let’s Take to the Water

Max Polsky landed this mahimahi within sight of Montauk Point with his father, George, at the helm.
George Polsky

A week ago, Capt. Skip Rudolph and his wife, Vickie, took the Adios charter boat offshore on an overnight to tuna country. He’s been busy guiding anglers to our rich, inshore grounds for striped bass and blues. It had been a while since the Adios had gone to where the Continental Shelf dives into offshore canyons formed eons ago by rivers of melting glacier.

By the sound of it, the trip was restorative, a time away, and in addition they caught ’em up — four bigeye tuna up to 225 pounds, three albacore, and two yellowfin up to 60 pounds. At the end of an email message, Skip wrote: “Remember, Tumbleweed Tuesday is not far away.”

He was referring, of course, to the day after Labor Day when, after a river of cars, trucks, and land yachts flows east to west like the aforementioned melting glacier, we are left with just the wind whistling through our empty streets.

In the meantime, let’s take to the water, place a moat between us and the crowds, go fishing, sailing, surfing, or if you’re stuck on land, visit your secret spots and appreciate the peace and beauty of this place until Tumbleweed Tuesday.

Offshore success over the past week also included young Max Polsky’s beautiful mahimahi caught within sight of Montauk Point with his dad, George, at the helm. And how about Sophia Ippolito, 10, who has spent much of the summer out in Montauk learning how to fish from her father, Fred. This summer she came in first place in a junior angler division contest by catching a 32.6-pound striped bass. Last week she caught a 130-pound big-eye tuna 200 miles offshore. Her dad gave a little help, but wow!

The fall version of the Montauk SurfMasters surfcasting tournament for striped bass is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 16 and will run until 10 a.m. on Nov. 30. The entry fee is $260, $60 of which will go toward an end-of-tournament bash. Applications are available at Paulie’s Tackle Shop and the West Lake Marina.

The haul for Capt. Skip Rudolph and his wife, Vickie, when they took the Adios offshore to tuna country included four bigeye tuna, three albacore, and two yellowfin.